Metamorphosis
by Michelle167
Summary: Separated from Shepard and the crew of the Normandy, Kaidan finds himself in a dire situation. Some Shenko. Brief appearances by Liara, Wrex,and Tali.
1. Stage

This has been on my desktop for a couple of months now. I had to force myself to finish it.

The title has to do with the numerous changes the piece went through rather than the actual story. The original piece was only about Kaidan, but after writing it I thought it lacked something so I inserted some shenko into the mix. Then I took a break, and it sat for a while. When I came back my original ending seemed abrupt, so I added a few short chapters to bring it around to a better conclusion, nevertheless on a personal level I found the final chapters weak in comparison to the beginning. I probably could have reworked them, but recent spoilers about ME2 have my head spinning and I found it hard to re-focus on the piece, so I'm posting the original story as is.

A spoilerish scene is included but it doesn't follow the course of what happens in game and in fact goes in another direction entirely, so I guess the piece could be qualified as an alternate universe fanfic.

I've tried to include Shenko in every chapter. There are sexual situations(I think pretty tame over all) and what some might consider graphic violence so be warned it does have a M rating.

Separated from Shepard and the crew of the Normandy , Kaidan finds himself in a dire situation. Rated M for mildly sexual situations and violence.

I don't own Bioware: If I did there would be more Kaidan in ME2.

* * *

Chapter one: The Stage

Shepard sat at her desk with her head in her hands. Her new quarters were stark and uninviting.

The new ship, the SSV Normandy SR-2, was supposed to be the most powerful ship ever built. According to the engineers it had everything...everything that is except for one Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. His absence fueled by her memories of their more intimate moments together served only to fuel her grief.

"You seem lost in thought, Commander," the young Asari said.

Startled Shepard looked up.

"I didn't see you come in Liara." Shepard straightened in her chair.

"I didn't want to disturb you but..." she started.

"You were worried," Shepard finished.

Liara nodded. Shepard was not surprised. Despite the Commander's rejection of Liara romantically early in their relationship, the Asari had held no grudges. Over the last two years she had become a close friend.

"No reason to be worried...I'm fine..it's just that..." the Commander started. She found herself breaking down in spite of her attempt at bravado.

Liara had been there along with Tali when the search for Kaidan had turned up empty handed. It was as though he had never existed. They had seen her at her worse. Who would have believed that the fearless Commander Shepard who had single handedly won the Battle of Elysium and had defeated the Reaper Sovereign would have broken down and cried like a baby over the loss of one of her officers.

"But he was more than just one of your officers wasn't he," Shepard thought.

"Kaidan...he's not here," Liara stated simply.

"I know he's gone. It's just that sometimes I look up expecting to see him...like he's just around the corner. Sometimes I think I can even hear him..." Shepard explained.

Despite the lump she found forming at the base of her throat, she continued. "He was always the professional...the brass would have never known...unless they had looked in his eyes. His eyes always told the truth."

"Well I guess it's a good thing Captain Anderson never noticed how Lieutenant Alenko looked at you," Liara said, hoping to lighten the mood.

Shepard lightly laughed and replied, "Or Udina."

"With all due respect Commander, I'm not sure Councilman Udina would know the look of love." Liara's smile broadened as her joke was met with hearty laughter.

"It is good to see you smile Commander...to hear you laugh," Liara continued. Despite the Commander's reaction Liara noted that her eyes were still filled with pain.

"You, Asari live such long lifespans. I know that often you outlive your partners? How do you do it...how do you push pass the pain of loss?" Shepard asked.

Liara did not have an answer. As young as she was she had never had a partner to lose. She could not imagine what Shepard was going through.

"I cannot say I understand your loss Commander, but I do know you have your memories," Liara offered.

Shaking her head, Shepard said, " I think of him and all I feel is pain. I want him back...here...with me."

Liara felt desperate. She had hoped to cheer the Commander, but Shepard seemed to be sinking further into her grief.

"I don't want to give you false hopes, Shepard...but maybe he's still alive out there somewhere," Liara said, nervously.

The day Kaidan had been pronounced killed in action, Liara had seen Shepard at her worst. While she found the revelation of the depth of emotion human beings could carry for one another fascinating, just witnessing the incident had left her emotionally drained. She did not relish a repeat performance.

"I mean the whole galaxy thinks that you're dead and yet here you are...maybe Kaidan survived too," she continued.

"I would have heard from him by now if he had...don't you think?" Shepard answered, dejectedly.

She thought of the day they had called off the search...the day she had fallen apart. She barely heard Udina as he suggested they use Alenko's death as an inspiration to pronounce the whole Normandy crew as dead.

"With what we're facing, it will give you more freedom to move," he had explained.

It was a good idea, but the smug satisfaction he seemed to announce it with in light of Kaidan's death infuriated an already emotionally wrecked Shepard. She had hauled off and hit the Councilman twice, and was about to hit him a third time when Captain Anderson restrained her. Realizing the depth of her distress through her audible sobs, her superior had not asked for an explanation and she had not offered. To this day she suspected that Udina had no idea what he had done.

The crew was quickly sequestered while the new ship was being built, and Shepard swallowed her grief by constantly studying the Intel being gathered on the collectors all at the expense of the colonies that were continuing to disappear. When not pouring over reports, she was honing her skills with the others in her crew as they prepared to take on the most dangerous mission of their lives. Only upon shipping out on the new Normandy did the weight of her loss return...Kaidan Alenko would not be on board.

"I think he would do anything to get back to you but...well sometimes that's not possible...look at me back on Therum...there was no way I could have freed myself without your help," she said, " If you hadn't come for me I would still be there."

"If I hadn't come for you...you'd be dead." answered Shepard, flatly.

Liara bowed her head. She was right back where she had started from.

"I am sorry, Shepard...It seems that in my effort to cheer you, I have only made matters worse," Liara apologized.

"It's alright Liara...I'm fine, really. Is there anything else you wanted?" Shepard put on her professional face as a indicator that she wanted to be alone. The change in demeanor was not lost on the Asari.

"No, Commander." Liara said, shaking her head.

As Liara left Shepard's room, the Commander's thoughts drifted to the sweet memories of her lovers touch. She refused to cry, never the less her heart ached. She had never felt more alone.

* * *

_"I can't believe it's all over... that Saren is really dead. " said Kaidan._

_Dr. Chakwas had patched them up and ordered them to take at least three days rest ,and somehow Kaidan found himself drawn to Shepard's quarters._

_The walk had not been easy. He feared that the stress and uncertainty of taking on Saren might have been what drove the two of them into each others arms the night before Illos. The one thing he didn't want to hear from her was that they had made a mistake._

_"You can believe it, Kaidan...Saren's dead," Shepard responded._

_He was encouraged at the use of his first name._

_A slight smile crossed his face as he looked at her. They made quite a pair. Neither of them had taken serious damage, but they were both banged up pretty bad._

_As if on cue, Shepard groaned as she sat down on the edge of the bed._

_"You okay, Commander?" Kaidan stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder._

_Softly laughing she gazed into his concerned eyes._

_"Kaidan, you don't have to call me Commander in the inner sanctum," she said._

_"Inner Sanctum...is that what we're calling it?" asked Kaidan. He could feel his fears begin to melt away at Shepard's words._

_"Private Quarters...Inner Sanctum...it doesn't matter. Leave the Commander and the Lieutenant outside...in here...it's just you and me." She explained._

_Kaidan sat down next to her, and surprised himself as he let out a groan._

_"Okay, I didn't realize it was going to hurt so much to just sit down," he confessed._

_Laughing, she responded, "I'm glad I'm not the only one."_

_"Just one of the many wonderful things we can share together," he teased._

_Reaching out, he took her hand in his and she squeezed his hand in return._

_"One day our groans won't be from fighting...they'll be due to age," she said._

_"She thinks of us growing old together," he thought. It was better than he had hoped for._

_Mustering all the courage he could manage, he asked, " Do you think we'll still be together when we're old?"_

_When the words were out of his lips, his heart skipped a beat. He had put his feelings on the line, and old fears festered by old wounds bubbled to the surface. Subconsciously he held his breath in anticipation of the answer._

_"I hope so." she said, "Provided we don't die in action."_

_Smiling broadly, she looked into his eyes intently. His heart lifted...Why had he doubted?_

_"You die in action?...Never!...No one can take down Commander Shepard...the first human Spectre." He felt his confidence begin to rise._

_"Kaidan...no Commander, even on jest." she joked._

_"Sorry Shepard." he apologized._

_"Abigail, Kaidan...or Abby...please" Shepard answered. Kaidan could hear the pleading in her voice. He understood. The whole galaxy saw her as Commander Shepard...the first Human Spectre...but no one really saw her...except for him._

_"Abby" Kaidan whispered._

_He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. As she fell into his lovemaking, the pains and injuries that were inflicted on them by Saren were soon forgotten._

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_

Disheveled and disoriented, Kaidan woke from a pleasant dream of Shepard in his arms. The memory was so strong he thought he could still smell her scent.

"Get up!" the voice yelled.

"Not Shepard," he thought.

He didn't understand why the Batarians felt the need to poke them with electric prods when the slave jack pretty much insured they would do what they were told. Kaidan stood to his feet.

"Back to work...sleep is over!" the voice yelled. It owner poked Kaidan in the back to move him along.

The other slaves were also being pushed and prodded as they began to make their way to the mining sight.

The five hours given them to eat and sleep were never enough, and Kaidan found himself more often than not opting for sleep over food. The choice had put a toll on his frame.

Once a perfect physical specimen of the Alliance military, he was now reduced to a shell of his former self.

"I probably look like a husk." he had once thought...a thought that had brought out a chuckle he soon regretted, as an electric prod had come crashing down on his skull.

His good looks could still be seen beneath the sunken eyes and cheeks, though a few more years under the Batarians would certainly do them in.

Clean shaven the scars on his neck stood out more violently than those of his companions. While most of the other slaves had evidence of only one wound to the base of their necks, Kaidan had three...one for his original L2 implant...one for the Batarian slave jack...and one for a biotic dampner than fit snugly next to his implant to repress his biotic abilities.

Making his way down the steep slope his thoughts drifted back to his dream. The memory of Shepard was the one thing that kept him going...the one thing that gave him hope.

One day I'll find you again, Shepard." he thought to himself.

"Move!" Kaidan felt the pulse in the slave jack and found his feet moving faster. The slave beside him went down with a blow from one of the Batarian guards. Averting his eyes, he pushed forward, trying to block out the screams of the fallen, as the guard mercilessly beat him. The more he screamed the harder the prod cracked. Kaidan shuddered.

He remembered the first time he had screamed under the hands of his captors.


	2. Capture

This chapter has what some might consider graphic violence. Just giving a warning in case someone might consider it offensive.

Chapter 2: Capture

The unexpected attack on the Normandy had come only a couple of months after Saren's defeat, and the crew was still high off the victory. Thinking they were invincible, they had all grown careless, including Kaidan. It had even bled over into his personal life. He and Shepard had been close to being caught more than once.

The Normandy was down before they knew it.

"Suit up!" There was no mistaking the urgency in Shepard's voice.

Clumsily, Kaidan struggled to suit up along side a visibly shaken Liara T'soni. He motioned for her to board the nearest escape pod.

"Where's Shepard!" Liara shouted.

Frantically scanning the corridor, fear gripped Kaidan as he found no sign of the Commander.

Before he could comment, a series of small explosions rocked the Normandy throwing the two to their knees.

"You all right?!" yelled Kaidan.

Liara nodded.

"Get to the escape pod...I'll find Shepard!"

Liara scrambled for the pod, as Kaidan pushed further into the ship searching for the missing Commander.

A full thirty seconds later, he felt relief wash over him as he could vaguely make out Shepard's form through the smoke and fire escorting Joker to an escape pod.

"Shepard! We need to go!" Kaidan shouted.

Motioning to the Lieutenant to give her just one minute, Shepard moved back to the ship's com link.

"What the hell is she doing?" he thought as panic set in.

Distress signal...

Another explosion ripped through the corridor, this time sending Kaidan head first into what was left of the ships inner hull.

Kaidan groaned. The blow had automatically sent a ripple of pain through his head starting at the base of his implant and ending at his left temple.

"We're not going to make it," he thought.

Struggling to his feet he called for Shepard again.

"Lets' go!" Shepard had closed the distance, and her shout reverberated through his aching head like a runaway train.

Nodding silently he accompanied the Commander to the escape pod.

"Thank the Goddess...I thought you would never show up!" Liara shouted.

"I didn't think we would either." Kaidan mumbled under his breath.

Slamming himself into the empty seat next to Liara, the thought occurred to him that they were going to make it after all. Shepard hit the release button as she jumped in behind him. That's when Kaidan made the biggest mistake of his life.

A flicker of light caught the corner of his eye as the doors to the pod were closing. Laying in the middle of the floor was Ashley's dog tags. Her family had wanted the crew to keep them as a reminder of how much she had loved being a member of the crew of the Normandy. He didn't think twice. He was gone before Shepard could stop him.

"Kaidan!" Shepard screamed.

Grappling to re-enter the pod, he found the door shut in his face.

"Shep..."

Kaidan's words were lost in space as the pod deployed. He held on with all the strength he could muster to keep from being sucked out with it.

As the suction died down he regained his composure enough to notice one pod remaining.

With Ashley's dog tags firmly in hand, Kaidan climbed aboard. Hitting the release button, he said his silent goodbyes as the debris from the Normandy fell far behind him.

* * *

_Kaidan slowly became aware of a hand gently caressing his face. For some odd reason, Shepard loved to watch him sleep._

_"Are you stalking me, Commander?" asked Kaidan, smiling through half shut eyes._

_Shepard thought of protesting at the use of her title in the 'inner sanctum' but dismissed it. She was feeling playful._

_"Not at all Lieutenant." she whispered softly in his ear._

_"Good, I thought you might be turning into Conrad Verner." he teased._

_Shepard laughed at the thought of her 'Number One' fan._

_"Perish the thought." she said._

_Kaidan opened his eyes and looked into Abby's face. He had all but given up hope that he would ever find anyone when Shepard had walked into his life, and it had been all wrong. She was his commanding officer, and they were in the middle of a crisis situation. He had consistently reminded himself that she was off limits, yet continuously found himself drawn to her. He found himself increasingly in her company and what made it even more dangerous was that she didn't seem to mind._

_He had used shore leave as an excuse to delay the inevitable, but the more time raged on the more drawn to one another they had become. Under the stress of having to face Saren they had given in and found that when all was said and done they couldn't take it back. The relationship had fallen naturally into place, and they found themselves more often than not finding excuses to be alone together even while on duty._

_Liara knew, and Kaidan suspected that Joker knew as well. As for the rest of the crew they were in the dark and saw the closeness between the two officers as nothing more than professional friendship._

_"Why? You don't want to be my fan?" Kaidan continued, "I could give an autograph...a photo maybe."_

_"Oh, I'm a fan alright, but an autograph or a photo just won't do...I'm interested in something more." Abby purred, as she pressed her lips softly against his own._

_"You must be a professional stalker." he whispered, as she pulled lightly away._

_"Definitely." she said, smiling, " only the best for you."_

_Kaidan ran his hand through her shoulder length hair drawing her closely into a fervent kiss. She responded in turn as her hands found their way over his shoulders...down his chest...over his abs..._

* * *

The tickle running across Kaidan's abdomen woke his sleeping form to a scorpion-like creature that had decided to park itself on his stomach. Startled, he quickly slapped it away immediately forgetting the dream he was having.

"Where am I?" he thought.

He could vaguely remember crawling out of the escape pod after crashing on the desolate planet.

A tracking device lay beside him. He picked it up...still no sign of any of the other escape pods. He took out a protein bar from his supply kit and bit into it, his face turning into an ugly scowl.

"A few more of those and I'll go on a self-imposed fast." he muttered to himself.

Reluctantly, finishing the bar, he looked back at the screen on the tracking device...empty.

He had no choice but to wait.

It wasn't until late afternoon that he discovered that the pod's distress beacon wasn't functioning.

"Damn" he muttered, as he kicked the hull of wrecked pod.

There was no point in staying. Perhaps the other pods were simply out of range. Maybe he could find a friendly encampment or research facility...better yet maybe even an Alliance outpost. He packed up all the food and water he could carry and began moving north.

Slowly the sand covered hills became jagged rocks, and Kaidan could see the tracks of several rovers that had covered the area.

Kaidan's instincts kicked in and he felt uneasy. Signs of life didn't mean they were human friendlies.

"I have no choice." he thought. He desperately needed to find a way back to the Alliance, and he wasn't going to find it hiding in the shadows.

Kaidan pressed on assured that whatever was out there he'd find a way to handle it.

* * *

He wasn't thinking clearly. His food supply had run out three days ago and the hunger fueled by his biotically charged metabolism was causing him to make irrational decisions.

Since when did the Lieutenant think he could take on 4 Batarian guards and half a dozen Varen in his weakened condition. His weight had dropped drastically, and the once sturdy Sentinel was now more than a little shaky. Armed with only a pistol and limited ammunition, he had approached the camp quietly from the east.

The Varen pen was the first thing he saw. He felt his mouth water. He had never eaten Varen meat before, but he was more than willing to give it a try.

"Have to take care of the guards first." he thought, as he fought the desire to kill one of the beasts and drag it quickly from the camp. He couldn't risk getting caught.

Quietly so as not to alert the Varen, Kaidan pushed past the objects of his ravenous lust and moved to the front of the camp.

The first Batarian never saw him coming. It was a clean shot and the four-eyed creature toppled to the ground with not so much as a sound.

Confusion gripped his mind...no sound? Kaidan looked at his pistol to see it equipped with a rare silencing device. The Alliance didn't sanction silencers... at least not publicly. He couldn't even remember where he had gotten it, but for the moment he was thankful. It would make things much easier.

"If you were thinking straight you'd remember." Kaidan pushed the thought away. It was too late to dwell on his deteriorating mental and physical condition.

Taking cover behind the rover that sat in front of the encampment, he waited for the next Batarian to make an appearance. He was not disappointed.

The creature was oblivious to the human that crouched not more than 5 feet from it. Taking advantage, Kaidan fired, dispersing the creature with a single shot. This time, however, he did not go unnoticed.

The next Batarian that rounded the corner released several rounds of gunfire in his direction.

Crouching behind the safety of the rover, Kaidan barely missed having his head clipped by one of the rounds. He could feel the wind from the bullets as they sped past his face.

"Human!" the creature yelled.

As a second round of gunfire pinned Kaidan to the rover, he could hear the voice of a second Batarian joining the skirmish.

"Release the Varen!" the voice called.

Looking at his ammo, Kaidan cursed himself. He didn't have enough to take on both the Batarians and the Varen.

"My God...what was I thinking," he wondered.

The fear caused his mind to clear.

"If I can take the Batarians out before they reach the pen..." his thought trailed off, as he raised his pistol and set it's sights. He'd have only one shot. The Batarian sent to open the cage would pass directly in Kaidan's line of fire only once. If he could just make it a clean shot.

"Wait...Wait...Wait" he whispered.

His sight lined up, and he pulled the trigger. Again, Kaidan's target fell dead in a single shot.

'"Three down." he thought, "One to go."

He knew not to get too overconfident. How many times had a soldier lost his life to the last enemy standing, because he had gotten cocky and charged in before thinking? Once again he waited.

His patience would have paid off if it had not been for the unexpected arrival of re-enforcements.

Kaidan heard them before he saw them. Turning just in time to see them crest the hill, he made out a rover accompanied by three Batarian soldiers carrying assault rifles and at least two Varen. He had no choice...he was going to have to make a run for it. He was outnumbered and out gunned.

Breaking cover, Kaidan flicked his hand forward in a pushing motion, throwing the Batarian that flanked his cover spot immediately into a stack of crates. His escape, however was short lived. Lack of nourishment had left him unequipped to outrun his pursuers.

He hadn't gone far when he was slammed face down in the sand.

"It's a Varen," he thought, "I was going to make them my next meal. Now I'll be theirs."

The certainty of death was stripped away as one of the Batarian guards pinned Kaidan's body to the desert floor. Grimacing, he let out a moan as his hands were twisted behind his back.

"Hold his hands...he's a biotic." the voice said.

"They're taking me alive." Kaidan thought, as horror began to spread throughout his mind.

He had heard the stories. Torture and brutality that would leave people praying for death.

"Don't damage...we need more workers." another voice called from behind.

"Oh God!" thought Kaidan when he realized what was happening.

He began to struggle. The combination of his weight loss and weakened state made the attempt useless.

"Hold him...he's squirming." the second voice said again.

Kaidan felt the quick tug at the chain around his neck as the knife sliced through it. Anger welled up inside him, as Ashley's dog tags fell from his neck, and he began to struggle again with renewed effort, only to be thwarted by a blow to the side of the head.

For a brief moment sweet blackness took him, but it was quickly dispersed as his Batarian captors roused him back to consciousness.

"Keep him awake!" the gruff voice said.

Kaidan bit his lip to keep from screaming, as the Batarian gored into the back of his skull. Warm blood spilled down the side of his neck.

Involuntarily, Kaidan's body began to jerk as the cold metal object was shoved into the opening made by the Batarian. As it attached itself to his implant, a shock wave volted throughout his body. The depth and power of his screams surprised even him, nevertheless he could not stop. He felt as if his entire body had caught on fire.

"Stop screaming...human!" the first voice yelled, "It's just a dampner."

Despite his distress, the word registered ...dampner. Considered cruel, such devices had been outlawed long ago. He knew that the burning throughout his body would soon cease, but he also knew that he would no longer be able to use his biotics. He had been biotically neutered. Realizing this, the fight went out of him. Any advantage he had was gone.

"Medicine." stated the second voice.

They had not said medi-gel. Kaidan knew why. He had heard the stories. The Batarians were skilled in keeping their victims alive free of infection and far from death, however the 'medicines' they used never took away the pain. They delighted in the prolonged suffering of their victims.

He thought the worst was over as his body began to calm down. He was wrong.

Kaidan let out a howl as a second hole was bored into the base of his skull.

"What are they doing?" he thought, confused.

Then it dawned on him...slave jack.

"No!'" Kaidan croaked with what was left of his vocal strength.

The second device that was rammed into his skull was much larger than the first. He could feel the blood gush out and prayed that it would be enough to finish him. His screams came again as his flesh opened to receive the intruder and quickly trailed off as his body finally fled into unconsciousness.

"Should we wake him?" asked the first Batarian.

"No," said the second, " Fun parts over with anyway. Have to wait for it to heal a little before we mark him. We'll wake him for that."

The Batarians laughed.

Kaidan's dreams were filled with screams.


	3. Escape

Again this is another chapter with violence and sexual situations...just thought I'd give a warning in case someone might be offended.

* * *

Chapter 3 Escape

_"So much for your bedside manner." Kaidan said, as he winced._

_"Well if you weren't such a horrible patient." she said._

_Shepard slapped the medi-gel across the wound on Kaidan's arm. It was nothing more than a flesh wound from a stray bullet, but to Kaidan it hurt none the less._

_"Geez, Abby take it easy." Kaidan muttered through clinched teeth._

_Shepard paused, and Kaidan found himself counting the seconds before she re-started the examination of his wound. He had breached their agreement. While use of Shepard's first name was perfectly acceptable within the Commander's quarters, it was unacceptable while on duty._

_"Where's Tali?" he asked, after the silence became deafening._

_"Working on the Mako. She said she'd let us know when she was done." Shepard answered. "Till then we sit tight."_

_Kaidan looked around at the science facility, it's floor littered with the lifeless bodies of at least a dozen pirates._

_"Commander Shepard one...pirates zero." Kaidan said, trying to lighten the mood._

_He was rewarded with a smirk._

_"Keeping score Alenko?" she asked._

_"Sure...I'd bet on you for the win...every time." Kaidan responded._

_"And what do I win?" she asked, amused._

_"Me." he said seriously._

_The words were out of his mouth before he could think. He was breaking the agreement again...blurring the lines. Fear rose in his stomach, and he could feel a strong migraine coming on._

_Shepard's eyes locked with his, and he felt her burrowing into his soul. He braced for it...an argument...a reprimand...or worse._

_"Oh God. What if she finishes it? Says that this is not going to work. That it's over." he thought._

_His worries were interrupted by Shepard's lips planted eagerly on his._

_"What are you doing?" he managed._

_"Collecting my prize." she said, seductively._

_Greedily exploring one another's bodies, clothing quickly gave way to skin. Kaidan found himself lost in her scent...her touch...her taste...lost in all that was Commander Abby Shepard. Sweet tender love gave way to passion, as they came together in the ecstasy of one another's embrace._

_Neither of them noticed the figure that had walked into the room until after their lovemaking had come to it's conclusion. If shock could have been expressed through Tali's face mask, it would have registered loud and clear._

_"I...I..I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...the Mako...it's ready," Tali said, stumbling over her words._

_Frozen, the two lovers stared in shocked silence, their nude bodies still intertwined as Tali quickly left the room._

_"Don't worry...I'll talk to her," Shepard whispered. Kaidan barely heard her. His head was exploding._

* * *

Kaidan woke to a pain like none he had ever felt before.

"Abby," he whispered.

"He's coming around."

At the sound of the voice, Kaidan's dream of Shepard faded, to be replaced by the cold hard reality of his surroundings.

"Let me see," a second voice said.

The Batarian shook Kaidan's head from side to side sending bolts of pain searing through his skull. His responding groans were met with laughter.

"He's awake alright," the Batarian answered, " Hand me the razor."

For the next few minutes, Kaidan's captors complained about their prisoners silence, as they proceeded to shave his head. Despite their attempts to inflict greater pain by purposely cutting his scalp, his lack luster response proved disappointing.

Upon finishing, the Batarian slapped the back of Kaidan's head.

"We'll see how tough you are, human," he said.

It was then that Kaidan noticed the medical supplies littering the table next to him.

"Not to ease my pain but ensure my survival." he thought.

As his bleary eyes focused, he noticed a red hot fire brand lying amongst the supplies.

A slave marker.

Like cattle from 20th century earth, slaves were brandied with a unique mark that signified the owner to which they belonged.

The Batarian raised the brand and danced it back and forth before Kaidan's face.

Still reeling from his continuing ordeal, Kaidan didn't fully realize that he was the slave that was being marked, until the fire brand found it's way to the back of his neck. As the marker seared it's seal over his freshly cut wounds, Kaidan let out a scream so loud that it drowned out the laughter of his Batarian captors. Once again unconsciousness thankfully claimed him.

* * *

Days became weeks and weeks became months, and soon two years had passed. The beatings that he had received almost daily diminished as the Batarians moved on to torment the newer slaves, and Kaidan found himself pretty much ignored as he fell into a solid routine.

During that time, the rich vein of eezo the slaves mined dwindled to a minimal amount, and Kaidan began to notice that the dying slaves were no longer being replaced. Their torture had even slacked off somewhat. Kaidan knew all too well what that meant. The Batarians didn't have a reputation of taking overworked slaves with them when they re-located. They simply killed them off and found new ones. His time was running out. He had to escape and soon.

* * *

Kaidan was not more than five feet from the small ship before the Batarian guard spotted him.

He didn't raise the alarm...it was something Kaidan had been counting on...Batarian arrogance. Calling for help when dealing with a weakened slave would have brought shame. The guard didn't even bother to use the slave jack; it would have been too easy.

As the Batarian approached him, Kaidan drew back. Swinging with all of the strength that was left in his emaciated frame, Kaidan slammed the pic axe into the side of the alien's head. While the force of the blow was enough to severely injure the Batarian, it did little to stop him. Shocked and enraged, the injured guard charged at Kaidan. Both combatants crashed into the side of the ship and quickly tumbled to the ground.

Wrestling with his captor, Kaidan was caught off guard as a flash of metal sliced down the side of his face; the alien had cut him. Memories of Vryynus filled his senses, and in a moment of sheer reflex his biotics kicked in. Despite the dampner, the force of the biotic throw sent the Batarian flying across the hanger and into the wall, his body slumping down into a huddled mass.

Shockwaves racked through Kaidan's body as the dampner reacted to the firing of his implant. He jerked and gritted his teeth in pain.

"How long have I been able to do that?" he wondered.

Pulling his shaky body into the cockpit of the small ship, Kaidan strapped himself in and fired up the engines. It was as he thought...very similar to the Mako.

Looking at his reflection in the cold metal of the machine, Kaidan wiped the blood that ran down the side of his face. Upon closer inspection it wasn't as bad as he had first thought, nevertheless it was going to leave a scar.

Breaking the planets gravity, Kaidan set course for the citadel and for the first time in two years he relaxed.


	4. Recovery

The following chapters may be considered somewhat short and are written more as highlights to a what could have been a bigger story. I added them to the abrupt ending of the original story to bring it to a more rounded conclusion. Or at least that was my attempt.

Chapter 4 Recovery

_"Where would we go?" asked Abby._

_"Anywhere...where we could just be alone for a while." Kaidan answered._

_"It's a nice thought." she responded._

_"Does it have to be 'just' a thought?" he asked, "Why can't we take a shore leave? We've certainly earned it."_

_"Maybe your right...it's like you say the galaxy will take care of itself one day." she answered._

_"So why not today?" he asked._

_"Are you serious, Kaidan?" Shepard gazed intently into the lieutenant's face._

_"Yeah, I think I am." he answered._

_The conversation fell silent. Kaidan wasn't sure if he had overstepped some sort of line or not. All he wanted was a little alone time with Shepard without having to tip toe around the crew. The circle of people who already knew was beginning to grow especially after Tali had gotten her last eyeful. It was not an experience that Kaidan wanted to repeat._

_"Is that a problem?" he asked, attempting to break the deadening silence._

_"No...it's not a problem," she said, "I just...with so much going on...I just forget that sometimes I need...we need to take a break from it all. I guess I get used to the routine and don't realize that I need a vacation."_

_"Well, what do you think?" he asked._

_Shepard smiled, "Sure, but let's wait until after this next assignment. Anderson promised it wouldn't take long. After we take care of it we'll put in a request for a little shore leave. I'll leave the destination up to you."_

_"Really?" He already had a place in mind._

_"Really," she answered, "but for right now you need to get back to your bunk before everyone wakes up and realizes that the Lieutenant has once again slept somewhere other than where he was supposed to."_

_"I hate this." Kaidan grumbled._

_"I know...so do I," she said, " I wish you could stay here all night, but we can't take the same risk we took the night before Ilos. The crew is not as distracted as they were then."_

_Kaidan rose from the bed, turning briefly to kiss Abby goodnight._

_"I love you, Abby" he said._

_It was the first time he had been able to say the words._

_She smiled broadly, " I love you too, Kaidan Alenko."_

_It made leaving her room a little easier._

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_

"So Lieutenant Alenko...You're leaving then?" Dr. Michaels asked.

"Yeah, I think I've taken advantage of your hospitality long enough. I can't expect you to keep feeding a biotic out of your own pocket." Kaidan stated.

The doctor laughed. The man before her was almost unrecognizable from the man who had stumbled into her office 6 months ago. Gone was the shaved head, replaced by a thick head of raven colored hair. It wasn't as long as when Dr. Michaels had first met the Lieutenant, but he wore it well. The sunken eyes and cheeks had filled out as well giving him the same handsome aura she had first noticed the day Commander Shepard had saved her from Fist's thugs.

"Except for the scar on the side of his jaw he looks essentially the same." she thought, "no not exactly..." The doctor was taken by haunted look that emanated from the Lieutenant's eyes.

"You sure you won't reconsider and contact the Alliance." she asked.

Kaidan shook his head. She had tried to convince him to contact Captain Anderson as soon as he had found her, but he had steadfastly resisted, even more so when he found out that Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy had been pronounced killed in action over two years ago. The news had come as a shock to him, and she honestly thought it would hinder his recovery as he fell into depression, but somehow he had rallied and bounced back.

It had not been easy. The surgery to remove the slave jack and dampner had been touch and go, but in the end everything had worked out. The only problem he seemed to have from the ordeal was that he couldn't control his biotics. The power he displayed was wild and erratic. He could neither control the degree of force he used nor the direction in which it went. Dr. Michaels agreed it was a most puzzling side affect, but she was sure that with time and practice he could regain his control.

"Where will you go?" she asked.

He looked up at her as he continued to stuff what few belongings he now possessed in the small duffel bag.

Lowering his head, he said simply, " Omega Station."

"Oh...I didn't think..." she started.

"I'll be fine," he interrupted.

"I'm sure you will, Lieutenant. I know you can handle yourself." she agreed.

"Then I hope you're not going to lecture me on how dangerous Omega Station can be." Kaidan grinned.

Dr. Michaels smiled in return, nevertheless she noted that his smile did not reach his eyes.

"I wouldn't think of it," she answered.

"If there is anything you need...use the contact I gave you, and I'll be here as soon as I can." Kaidan avoided her eyes as he spoke.

She nodded in acknowledgment.

"You won't be returning and you know it," she thought, "Not for any reason...too many memories."

Dr. Michaels was not a dumb woman. His reaction to the news of Commander Shepard's death had not been that of a soldier and fellow officer...not even that of a friend. It was all too obvious that the two had been lovers.

"Good bye Dr. Michaels." said Kaidan, as he threw the duffel bag over his shoulders.

"Goodbye Lieutenant," said , "...be careful." She lifted her hand in a farewell as Kaidan walked away.


	5. Encounter

Chapter 5 Encounter

_Kaidan ducked. The pillow barely missed his head._

_Shepard fell on the bed laughing hysterically._

_"Two can play at that game," he said, smiling devilishly._

_Falling beside her, he proceeded to mercilessly tickle her sides._

_"Nooooo," the Commander squealed._

_As her protests got louder, Kaidan silently thanked the ships engineers for making the Captain's quarters sound proof. If someone had heard, they would have thought he was murdering her._

_"Stop, Kaidan...Stop," she pleaded._

_"Are you going to stop?" he asked._

_"No!" she shouted. Grabbing the pillow that had fallen beside her, she whacked it against the side of Kaidan's head._

_The act brought a more vigorous round of tickling from Kaidan that caused Abby to scream even louder._

_Shifting her weight she was able to push Kaidan over and free herself from his grip. Reversing positions with him she came to rest on top of him straddling his chest._

_"Now who's in control?" she asked, proudly in triumph._

_"You are," Kaidan answered wickedly, " and if you don't mind me saying...it is my pleasure to be your prisoner."_

_A naughty smile crossed Abby's lips and she leaned in to kiss Kaidan when a pillow knocked her off balance. Abby found herself once again pinned under her Lieutenant._

_"Why you..." she protested._

_Commander Abigail Shepard broke out in another round of wild laughter as Kaidan proceeded to tickle her._

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_

"Look out!" Liara shouted at Tali.

Tali ducked just in time to miss being thrown to the wall by the biotic throw.

"What?" she said, confused, "I'm not even in this fight."

"That doesn't seem to matter," said Liara.

They could hear the combatant curse at missing the intended target.

Liara grabbed Tali's arm and pulled her toward the entrance to the club.

"We need to leave. It was a bad idea to come. Shepard will be angry if we attract too much attention by getting involved in a bar fight." she explained.

Liara took in a deep breath as a stray bullet just missed her face. The fight was moving closer.

* * *

The three Batarians had spotted him immediately.

Hoping to get the upper hand Kaidan had used his biotic throw even as they were drawing their weapons. It had missed far and wide, and Kaidan had cursed even as he subconsciously blushed in embarrassment. He had always held a particular pride in his degree of control.

Toppling the table as the bullets began to rain down upon him he managed to avoid being hit.

"Take him alive!" the largest of Kaidan's pursuers yelled.

Kaidan pulled out his pistol and began to return their fire. One of the Batarians fell to the floor with a thud, a open hole directly in the center of his head.

"One down, two to go." Kaidan whispered to himself as he quickly reloaded his weapon.

"Better off dead!" yelled the second Batarian.

The gunfire riddled Kaidan's cover with holes.

"It won't last much longer." he thought.

Shuffling to the side, he skirted out from underneath. Facing his combatants Kaidan unloaded his gun. As another Batarian hit the floor, Kaidan ran for the exit.

* * *

Liara and Tali went flying as the man plowed into them.

"Damn!'" he yelled.

Scrambling to stand to his feet, his eyes locked onto the young Asari laying before him.

"Liara", he mouthed.

Liara's eyes opened wide in recognition.

"AAAAARRGH" the Batarian grunted as he charged toward Kaidan.

Dodging the blow, Kaidan caught the eye of the Quarian looking up at him in shocked surprise

"Tail?" he thought.

The Batarian lifted his rifle to take another shot, and Kaidan quickly slipped out the door, with his pursuer fast behind him.

* * *

"It was Lieutenant Alenko, Tali. You know it, and I know it." said Liara.

Tali nodded. She was still partially in shock. As far as everyone knew, Kaidan Alenko had died the day the Normandy went down.

"Do we tell Shepard?" she asked, looking intently at her Asari friend.

"No...we can't...not now. I don't know how she would react, and we've got too much riding on this mission. It would be too much of a distraction." Liara explained.

"We can't keep it from her forever, Liara." Tali reasoned, "She would want to know"

"I know...but it will have to wait," Liara answered, "until we' come back from the mission."

"If we come back." Tali said, somberly.

"Are you ready?" interrupted Shepard, as she walked up to the two women.

"We are leaving now?" asked Liara.

"Yes, We have all our recruits and all the information we need. I'd say it was time to get this bird in the air. Time to finish this." Shepard stated.

"Then I guess we are ready" Liara said.

Tali nodded.

"Good" the Commander said.

"It's the right decision." thought Liara, "It's what's for the best." She wasn't entirely convinced.


	6. Hitchhiker

Chapter 6 Hitchhiker

_"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Kaidan._

_"Like what?" asked Shepard, seductively._

_"Like...you know how you're looking at me." Kaidan answered, as he felt a blush move into his face._

_"And what's wrong with how I'm looking at you, Lieutenant?" Shepard purred._

_"Someone might notice," Kaidan answered. He continued to fiddle with the control panel at his station. Clumsily, he knocked a couple of his tools to the floor in the process._

_Shepard laughed._

_Kaidan looked at Shepard. She had obviously decided to throw caution to the wind._

_"Then maybe we should go somewhere more private," she said coyly._

_"Are you serious? Now?" he asked._

_"I need to talk to you in private, Lieutenant. My quarters, now!" Shepard marched off to her quarters leaving an overly embarrassed Kaidan wondering if his Commanding Officer had lost her mind. Not only had she ordered him to her quarters, she had done it loudly enough that half the crew had heard._

_Kaidan nodded to Pressley in the mess as he followed Shepard to her room. The elderly man smiled wryly at Kaidan making the Lieutenant's stomach tie up in knots. He was beginning to believe Shepard was determined that everyone would know about them._

_"What was that about?" asked Kaidan as he came face to to face with his Commanding Officer._

_The answer didn't come as Kaidan found himself slammed onto the bed, an obviously overly arduous Abby falling directly on top of him._

_"Damn!" Kaidan could feel his embarrassment begin to ebb away._

_"Now you're mine, Kaidan Alenko....there is no escape." Shepard said, as she began to undress him._

_"Escape?...why would I even try?" Kaidan answered._

* * *

"So you escaped...again?" the elderly woman asked.

Kaidan nodded.

"How long do you think your luck is going to hold out? They won't stop coming until you're captured or killed." she continued.

The slave mark on the neck of Kaidan's landlady was nearly concealed by the tough leathery gray skin that could only come with age. Her thoughtful eyes looked him over with concern. She knew what he was going through.

"I can handle them." he said.

"No you can't. As long as your owner is alive, they'll continue to hunt you." the woman stated.

"No one is hunting you." Kaidan protested.

The woman laughed.

"I was young once," she said, "Fast on my feet...and lucky. My slave jack had malfunctioned, and I escaped...but they still came...again and again. I was tiring out...beginning to give up...then they just stopped. I later heard that Analak...that was my owner had died. As long as the owner of your slave mark is alive, they won't give up. But once he's dead, you're free."

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked.

"They know you're here...you need to leave. Go back to the citadel...go to your home world...go anywhere but here." she said.

"I don't have enough credits to buy passage." he said, shaking his head.

"Then make a deal with someone. You know how to use a gun...hire yourself out in exchange for passage." she explained.

"As a merc?" asked Kaidan. The thought had never crossed his mind.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Frankly, Miriam I can't see myself as a merc." Kaidan said.

"Your not Alliance anymore...you might as well use what you've got. If you don't you're going to be killed...or worse." she said, as she exited the door.

As he thought about what Miriam had said, the image of Liara and Tali at the Afterlife Club floated before him.

"They're alive," he thought, "if they're alive then maybe..."

Kaidan shook his head. He refused to get his hopes up.

Then the thought occurred to him that if they were here then maybe they had a ship. It was enough to get him moving towards the door.

* * *

After some convincing the controller had informed Kaidan that two ships had left not more than two hours earlier. One of them had been called the Normandy. The logo on the side had said Cerebus.

For some reason Kaidan didn't believe it was a coincidence. He was pretty sure Tali and Liara were probably on board. Now he was left with the problem of finding a way off the station.

Looking at the magnitude of the number of ships he had slumped to the ground and put his head in his hands. He didn't know where to start.

"Alenko?" the gruff voice said.

Kaidan looked up into the scared faced Krogan.

"Wrex?" Kaidan asked.

"What are you doing here? Thought you'd be on the ship with Shepard." said Wrex.

"She's alive?" asked Kaidan.

"Yep. Whole crew is in spite of rumors to the contrary." Wrex replied, "so why'd you get left behind?"

Kaidan sat dumbfounded taking in what Wrex said.

The Krogan looked at him curiously.

"Wrex, can you take me to the citadel?" asked Kaidan, ignoring his question.

"Not for free...sorry...credits are low." Wrex said.

"What if I helped you out...on a job or something." Alenko offered, "to pay for the ride."

The Krogan laughed. Wrex had been impressed with his biotics...they seemed as strong as an Asari Commando, but Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko as a merc...now that was a stretch. He just didn't seem to be the type that had the stomach for making tough decisions, and in this business you sometimes didn't have the luxury of thinking things through.

No one would ever say that Wrex had a soft heart...at least to his face, but he had formed attachments to the crew of the Normandy during his brief stay on board while fighting Saren. Most of them had treated him fair enough, and Kaidan had been one of them. Despite his misgivings he found himself agreeing.

"All right..you can back me up on one job as payment for transport. It's on the way to the citadel anyway." the Krogan motioned to Kaidan to follow.


	7. Stranded

Chapter 7 Stranded

_"Have you finally got that thing fixed?" Shepard gazed down at the Lieutenant as he finished replacing the panel on his station._

_"Yes Ma'am...it's finally finished." Kaidan answered._

_A familiar glint came into Shepard's eyes._

_"Shepard...no." said Kaidan._

_Shepard sighed, "Don't worry...completely professional. I was just checking your progress that's all."_

_"Really...sure you weren't after something else." Kaidan said, smiling wickedly._

_"You wouldn't...try to get even would you?" she asked, nervously._

_"Wouldn't I? I did learn from the best." he said, as he moved extremely close to his commanding officer._

_Dr. Chakwas gave the two a curious look as she exited the mess. Ignoring them she continued into the med lab._

_Shepard 's face turned bright red._

_"I didn't know you could blush that red, Commander," Kaidan teased._

_"Personal space, Kaidan...personal space." Shepard whispered._

_In response Kaidan gently laid his hand on Shepard's shoulder and grinned._

_"Oh, you are loving this aren't you." Shepard snapped. One of the engineers glanced at them as he made his way to the elevator._

_"Every minute of it." Kaidan moved his hand from her shoulder and caressed the side of her face. Shepard froze. Despite her horror at possibly being exposed, she couldn't find the will to move._

_"Serves me right for my little display in front of Pressley the other day." she thought._

_"You know I could take a look at your computer for you...since you've been having problems with it." Kaidan said loudly._

_"Computer?...What's wrong..." Shepard started, "Oh...yes, my computer...I'd appreciate that, Lieutenant. If you could follow me to my quarters I'll be glad to show you the problem."_

_Kaidan followed the bewildered Commander into her quarters._

_"Kaidan Alenko, if you ever do that again I'll...I'll..." she stammered._

_"You'll what?" he asked. Kaidan grabbed Abby and kissed her fervently._

_Breaking free briefly, she answered, "I'll have to ask you back to my quarters sooner."_

_"That's what I thought." Kaidan said, smiling._

* * *

"They're right on our tail. Dammit, Alenko! Hurry up!" grumbled Wrex.

"You want to do it!" shouted Kaidan.

Wrex banked the ship on a hard right, and Kaidan went sliding into the wall.

"Watch what your doing, Wrex!" Reaching out to the ship's main gun control panel, Kaidan pulled himself back to his feet.

"You let me fly...you just take care of that gun." Wrex responded.

Kaidan tested the power.

"Seems okay!" he yelled.

"Then use it!" Wrex shouted back as he took another hard right.

Barely hanging on, Kaidan slid into the gun's chair and began to focus the guns sights on the ships pursuing them.

Some 20 minutes later the odd pair from the small ship flew quietly without any sign of pursuers.

The small job Wrex had allowed Alenko to help him with in return for transport had proved messier than anticipated. Security had been tight, and the situation had left Wrex in a rare position of not being able to eliminate his assigned target. Taking the initiative, Alenko had stepped up and finished the job for him. It was then that Wrex began to have real respect for the guy.

Before, Kaidan had always seemed intent on assessing the situation, looking for different solutions to the obvious, now he simply went for the jugular. It was an attitude much like Wrex's own.

The one time transport to the Citadel turned into a partnership that was 6 months old. In that time Wrex had helped Alenko with his little problem and had dealt with a certain Batarian slave owner that had it in for the Lieutenant.

"Having a tech on board ain't so bad." mouthed Wrex.

"What about a human?" joked Kaidan.

"I'd prefer one that didn't eat quite as much." Wrex punched back.

"I'm biotic," Kaidan answered.

"Me too...and I'm bigger than you and still you eat more than me...besides I can control my abilities." Wrex complained.

Kaidan rolled his eyes in mock anger. He had accepted the fact that his abilities were not coming under control as fast as he would have liked, yet he still hadn't given up hope.

"With that I'll make my exit."

"Where you going?" Wrex asked.

"To get something to eat...all this talk about eating has made me hungry." Kaidan said, as he exited the cockpit.

"Me and my big mouth." Wrex muttered to himself.

* * *

"She's here you know." Wrex continued to stuff the supplies into the cargo hold of the ship.

"Who?" asked Kaidan.

"You know who. I don't get you sometimes Alenko. You wanted to come to the citadel months ago, but every time we dock here you insist on leaving out again. I thought you wanted to find Shepard." Wrex noticed the tense stance the biotic took at the mention of the Commander's name.

"Must be a human thing," he thought.

He still failed to understand the complexity of human relationships and wasn't sure he wanted to.

"You trying to get rid of me, Wrex?" Kaidan asked, avoiding the subject.

The Krogan shrugged.

"Maybe, I'm just trying to make sure there's still something left of the supplies to eat at the end of the week."

Kaidan laughed.

"Seriously, you need to finish this. Talk to her, if that's what you had in mind. You've got time."

"What do you mean I've got time?" Kaidan asked, inquisitively.

Wrex ignored the question..

"Like I said she's back, and a big celebration is being thrown in her honor. I guess it isn't often a spectre comes back from the dead." Wrex returned to loading the cargo hold.

"Bet she likes that," Kaidan mumbled sarcastically.

"Yeah, she never liked people fussing over her." Wrex slapped the last of the containers in the cargo hold and slammed the hatch.

"As for me, I've got business, so you're on your own."

Wrex moved quickly into his ship, locking himself in. He could hear the Lieutenant yelling at him from the other side.

"Talk to her. If you still want to ship out with me afterwards, I'll be back in a week!" Wrex yelled through the door.

If someone had called Wrex soft he would have shot them. He was just doing Alenko a favor, that's all. As long as the former Lieutenant had an escape route, he'd continue to avoid the situation. This way he had no choice.

Wrex realized that if they worked everything out he'd be out a partner, but as a Krogan, he was used to going it alone.


	8. Uninvited

Chapter 8 Uninvited

_The two entwined figures moved slowly to the music that softly filtered throughout Shepard's room._

_"What are you thinking?" he asked._

_"I was just wondering why you didn't protest more when I suggested this. I literally had to drag you onto the dance floor at the Flux." Shepard gazed into his eyes trying to gage his reaction._

_His eyes lit up, as he softly laughed._

_'This isn't the same kind of dancing, besides it's just you and me...no crowds," he answered._

_"Are you really that shy?" she asked._

_Shepard was surprised when the usual blush did not manifest._

_"No...I just want you to myself," Kaidan answered._

_Unexpectedly, Shepard found that she was the one blushing. She lowered her head not sure what to say._

_Kaidan Alenko was a true romantic, a dying breed especially among the men enlisted in the Alliance military. How had she gotten so lucky?_

_"I want to be with you forever, Abby." Kaidan whispered as he leaned in and kissed Abby on her forehead._

_Snuggling closer, Shepard laid her head onto his shoulder and whispered in return, "I want to be with you forever too."_

* * *

"You seem lost in thought tonight, Commander," the tall dark man said.

Shepard smiled weakly, "I was just watching the couples dance."

"Would you like to dance, Shepard?" he asked.

Shepard wasn't surprised at his boldness. Jacob was as aggressive in his personal relationships as he was in his job. While she admired the man professionally,  
she was not attracted to him in the least.

"Thank you for asking, but I have to decline, Jacob." she answered.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm sure." she answered.

Scanning the room, Shepard spotted an absolutely miserable Liara T'soni. It seemed social skills came no easier to Asari scientists as they did to hardened soldiers. The young Asari had insisted that Shepard meet with her after the celebration, and although she said it was of extreme importance, she didn't look too eager for the meeting to occur.

In a way, her demeanor had reminded Shepard of Kaidan. He had a habit of dancing around what he wanted to say before getting to the point.

"Am I really so hard to get along with?" she thought.

It seemed that the people that loved her the most feared telling her the truth.

"Commander, are you sure you won't change your mind?" asked Jacob.

Lost in thought, Shepard had forgotten he was standing there.

"You mean about dancing?" asked Shepard.

"Yes." Jacob answered.

An image of Kaidan holding her gently in his arms as they swayed silently to the music flashed in Shepard's mind.

"I'm sorry, Jacob...I'm just not up for it right now...if you'll excuse me." Shepard made a beeline for Liara T'soni.

She needed to hear what Liara had to say, even if it was only to get her mind off Kaidan.

Two and half years and thoughts of her dead lover still haunted her.

* * *

Kaidan felt the jealousy bubbling just below the surface. It had been two and half years and the sight of Shepard with someone else no matter how innocent it looked made the hairs rise on the back of his neck.

He could feel a biotic charge beginning to build, and mentally he began to reel it in. He didn't need to bring attention to himself.

"Calm down, Alenko...they're just talking," he whispered.

The tall dark man had been hovering over Shepard for fifteen of the last twenty minutes Kaidan had been there.

For the most part Shepard had seemed stoic in her responses, but the man did little to hide his interest.

"Damn, Wrex." thought Kaidan.

If the Krogan hadn't abandoned him, he wouldn't be witnessing any of this.

"No, I'd be keeping a low profile at Chora's den, until Wrex got clearance for us to leave." he thought.

For the last six months no on had guessed that he might be AWOL. In fact most Alliance personnel gave him wide berth, viewing the former Batarian slave as being more potentially unstable than a L2 biotic. Little did anyone know that he was both.

Scouring the room, Kaidan recognized that of all his old team mates only Garrus, Wrex, and himself seemed to be missing.

"It's been a long time, perhaps, she's moved on." The thought didn't sit well with him.

If she had moved on professionally, she had probably moved on personally as well.

"Are they together?" he wondered, as he looked once again at her companion.

As if on cue, Shepard moved away from the man, and quickly vanished from Kaidan's line of sight.

"I need to get out of here," he thought, " I'm not ready to talk to her yet, and this isn't helping."

Maneuvering himself out of his hiding place, Kaidan quietly made his way out of the room. He was unaware that he had been spotted.


	9. Reunited

Chapter 9 Reunited at last

"Take you hands off me!" Kaidan jerked his arm away from the soldier trying to detain him.

"What were you doing back there? " the soldier asked, as a second guard joined him.

"Nothing," Kaidan answered, lowering his head.

The act was not only an attempt to conceal his identity, but hope that his slave mark might persuade the soldiers to let him go.

"You were doing something." the soldier continued, ignoring the mark on Kaidan's neck.

Kaidan backed up as two more guards joined them. He felt panic begin to set in.

"Like I said, I wasn't doing anything," he responded.

Once again the soldier reached to grab Kaidan's arm. Instinctively Kaidan let loose with a biotic throw which luckily hit it's target and threw his interrogator, along with one of the other soldiers off his feet.

Seizing the opportunity, Kaidan fled down the hallway, followed by the two remaining soldiers.

"Backup...we need backup!" The requests caused Kaidan to pick up speed.

"Can't be that much further," he thought as he gasped for air. He didn't remember the hallway being quite so long.

"There he is!" the shout came from his left, as he passed an intersecting hall.

Kaidan barely dodged the soldier as the man lunged at his feet.

Stumbling, Kaidan rounded the corner, running smack dab into the man he had seen earlier with Shepard. The collision knocked him to his knees not more than three feet from the exit. Within seconds the hoard was upon him.

* * *

"Get off him!" The authoritative voice spoke.

Kaidan felt himself being hauled up. Once again he came face to face with Shepard's companion.

"Who are you? Why were you hiding at the celebration?" The man appeared to be in charge.

Glaring at the man, Kaidan's eyes narrowed. He wanted nothing more than to punch him in the nose.

Ignoring his hostile demeanor, Jacob's eyes fell on Kaidan's neck, and he reached out slightly turning the Lieutenant's head to the side to examine the markings. A look of in trepidation crossed the man's eyes.

"Former slave...How long have you been free?" he asked.

Kaidan kept silent.

"Sir, He's a biotic." One of Kaidan's pursuers volunteered.

"A free biotic slave...that's rare. Have to literally shut you down to implant a slave jack."

"Sir?" the voice asked again.

"Something to do with the implants interfering with slave jacks. A biotic has to be shut down in order for the damn things to work. Immoral, illegal, and highly dangerous. And from the looks of the scars on this one's neck, I'd say extremely traumatic."

Turning back to Kaidan, Jacob asked, "You got a name?"

Kaidan remained silent.

Sighing, Jacob nodded to one of the guards, "Take him to the interrogation room."

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" asked Shepard.

"What would you have done?" Liara asked, as she paced back and forth in the small private room.

"I don't know..." Shepard began.

"Well I do...you would have either dropped everything to find him, or you would have been so distracted that you'd have gotten yourself and everyone with you killed!" It was the first time Shepard had heard the Asari raise her voice.

She knew Liara was right, nevertheless she was furious that she hadn't been told sooner.

"I hate it when you right, Liara." she said.

"Can you forgive me, Shepard?" Liara asked, innocently.

"I won't lie to you, Liara...I'm furious...but I'm sure that in time I'll get over it." Shepard rubbed her temples, trying in vain to alleviate the headache that was forming.

"Then it will have to do." Liara said.

"So, I guess I need to head back to Omega Station," Shepard stated.

"Yes...perhaps he is still there," Liara started to fidget.

"Is there something else I need to know?" Shepard asked, as she observed Liara's body language.

"Yes...there was something else." Liara sighed heavily.

"Well spit it out Liara...we've wasted enough time." Shepard's patience was wearing thin.

"He had a Batarian slave mark."

* * *

_"Why do you have to know everything?" asked Kaidan._

_"Because I love you." answered Abby._

_"If you know everything, then there's no mystery left. You'll get bored with me." Kaidan rolled over to look Abby directly in the eye._

_She studied his face. He looked so serious._

_"I will never get bored with you, Kaidan. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." She had found that with time those words had come easier._

_Kaidan smiled and ran his fingers through the edge her hair._

_"I love you," he said._

_"Then tell me what I want to know." she encouraged._

_Kaidan laughed, "You're impossible, Abigail Ann Shepard."_

* * *

"So are you going to tell us what we want to know, or are we going to have to convince you to talk." Jacob asked.

Kaidan had noticed the Cerebus personnel mixed in with the Alliance soldiers, and didn't want to think what that convincing might entail. He kept looking at the door expecting Wrex to burst in at any moment, but he knew in his heart help would not be coming.

"Can you at least give me your name?" asked Jacob.

Kaidan lowered his head, " I...uh"

He felt frustrated. He didn't want to talk, but he was tired of hiding. A part of him wanted everything out in the open.

"Well, we've at least established you have a voice. Do you have a name to go with it?" Jacob was determined.

"Kaidan" he answered.

"Well, that wasn't so hard was it. So, Kaidan can you tell me what you were doing hiding during the celebration activities?" Jacob asked.

"I was looking for someone...that's all." Kaidan answered.

"Did you find them?" Jacob questioned.

"No...that's why I left." Kaidan lied.

Jacob eyed the former Lieutenant.

"I think you're lying, Kaidan. Let's move on to something else. Tell me about your background." Jacob leaned back in his chair.

"My background?" Kaidan wondered if the man was asking more for personal reasons rather than professional ones. Perhaps he was the one who spotted Kaidan back at the celebration. Had he seen Kaidan watching Shepard? Was he protecting his territory?

"Maybe I'll let him know who I am, before I put a knife to his throat." He could feel the jealousy rising within him again.

"Yes your background...let's see...you're obviously biotic...an L3." Jacob said.

"L2" Kaidan stated flatly.

"I see." Jacob eyed Kaidan even more warily, his focus falling back to his prisoner's slave mark.

"What's going on here?!" Kaidan froze at the sound of her voice.

Surprised, Jacob looked up from his interrogation.

"Commander, I wasn't aware anyone had informed you of the situation." he stated.

"One of your men was blabbering about a biotic, batarian slave they had taken down today. I came here to see what it was about." Shepard explained.

"Nothing you need to worry yourself about, Commander. I have it under control." Jacob said, waving the Commander away with his hand.

"I'll be the judge of whether I need to worry about it or not. Now what's going on?" asked Shepard.

Kaidan recognized Shepard's all-business tone. She intended to take control of the situation.

"This man was seen hiding at the celebration. When we tried to question him he resisted." Jacob stated plainly. It was obvious he was not pleased that Shepard didn't let him handle it on his own.

"And what information have you gotten from the prisoner?" she asked.

Shepard was sweating. She knew the outline of the man in the chair.

"Not much. His name is Kaidan and he's an L2. Other than that nothing solid, though he claims he was only looking for someone at the party." answered Jacob.

Shepard let out her breath. She had been unaware that she had been holding it.

"I want to talk to the prisoner alone." she stated.

"Are you sure?" asked Jacob.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Shepard glared at Jacob as she raised her voice. She had begun to rethink her opinion of how much she admired his aggressive professionalism.

Noting her ire, Jacob left the room.

* * *

Not sure how Kaidan would react to an emotional outburst, Shepard suppressed the deluge of emotions that were trying to force their way to the surface.

She had little experience dealing with Batarian slave survivors, but all Intel suggested that it was best to tread lightly.

"Aren't you even going to look at me Kaidan?" she asked.

Raising his head only slightly, Kaidan set his sights on his former commanding officer and lover.

"Shepard," Kaidan acknowledged.

She was encouraged at the warmth she saw radiating from his eyes.

"It's been a long time." she said.

"Yeah, you could say that...a lot of things have happened...a lot of things have changed." Kaidan agreed, emphasizing the word changed.

Shepard's heart dropped. Did he no longer love her? Was that what he was trying to say?

"What happened to you Kaidan?" she asked.

"Do I really have to answer that, Shepard?" Kaidan asked, " I would think that by looking at the back of my neck you'd know."

Shepard looked away.

" I can see that. I just...we...looked for you." she explained.

"Well, I guess it's obvious you didn't find me." Kaidan said, with anger.

"I'm sorry." Shepard's eyes began to fill with tears.

"Forget it...I escaped...I'm fine now...everything's fine now. What about you?" Kaidan crossed his arms in anticipation of the answer.

"Me?...I guess it's the same as always. You know...complete the mission against all odds...save the galaxy" Shepard attempt at lightening the mood was met with a glassy stare.

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it." Kaidan said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"The guy...the one who questioned me...the one who was with you at the celebration..." Kaidan hinted.

Sorrow gave way to confusion, confusion to realization. Shepard smiled.

"Jacob...you mean Jacob...you think that he and I..." Shepard let out a hardy laugh.

"No...Jacob and I are not...together...if that's what you mean." she said.

Kaidan hung his head as partial relief washed over him.

"Then tell me...is there anyone else...anyone at all?" he asked.

"No," she answered, "...and you."

"No one," he replied.

The tension in the room melted away, and the two locked eyes.

"I love you...I never stopped thinking about you." Shepard admitted.

"You were the only thing that kept me going, Abigail Shepard." Kaidan responded.

Taking Shepards face in his hands, Kaidan's lips met hers in a long overdue kiss. It was as if they had never been apart.

The next two weeks would end with Kaidan being forgiven by the Alliance for being AWOL due to extenuating circumstances. Returning to duty, he found himself miraculously assigned under the command of a certain Spectre whose side he never left again.


End file.
